Who do you love more?

Just a few weeks ago, my 16 year old son told me about one of his classmate who was very unhappy lately. She felt that her parents love her elder brother and sister more. They pay more attention to them than to her, and she being the youngest, felt neglected.

Me and my two sons were in the same room during this conversation. My 13 year old son asked me, who do I love more. Before I could say anything, my 16 year old snap at him jokingly and said, "Me obviously! I am the eldest, remember? So don't be jealous." I looked at my 13 year old and said, "Yes, it is obvious, right? He was born 3 years before you. I have no choice but to love him 3 years more than you." And we all end up laughing.

But seriously, there are parents out there who favor one child over the other. Some shows it to the world and some didn't even realize it is happening. At times when parents have more than 1 child to look after plus a demanding job in the office etc, it is quite difficult to divide oneself into so many, at the same time pay equal attention to everyone.

Wonder if those parents who do favor one child over the other, was it something that the child did or something happened, like my friend in my previous post, that makes parents pay more attention to that particular child.

Most Chinese parents on the other hand do show that they favor sons over daughters. They think having daughters are a waste of time and money. Once they get married, they become part of the spouse family, no longer their family member. Hmmm , really?

Indirectly all these will lead to sibling rivalry and that is unhealthy. They will start to grow apart. Then what's the point of getting married and stating a family if all it's members will grow apart in the future.

Guess we as parents should evaluate our parenting skills from time to time and the best person to do that for us is our children. Listen when they argue, watch out for sign, they will indirectly let us know how we fare.

Thanks for reading and hope you love them all equally, be it your children, your parents, your siblings, your pets or even your plants.

Simple Pumpkin Soup

I rarely cook pumpkin. Maybe because I grew up never eating pumpkin, don't know why but mum and grandma had never cook any pumpkin dish before. Had tried cooking it with meat (will post it some time later if I can remember) but once it cools off it makes the dish quite sweet.

This however, I like it very much. I learned it from a teenage boy ( my son's scout friends). Those scouts, including my son, borrowed my kitchen to cook for their scout sir to earn a cooking badge.

It is easy to make. Cut pumpkin into cubes and steam it till soft. Dice onion. Blend the pumpkin and raw onion with a blender. Pour the liquid into a pot and bring it to a boil. Add milk while boiling. Can serve while hot or can serve it cold. I prefer the hot one. Wonder if I can add meat in it? Maybe next time I will try.

Thanks for reading and please leave me a pumpkin recipe if you have any. I love trying new food every now and then.

I can't see (jokes)

The teenage boy seemed placid as I approached his hospital bed to give him a psychiatric evaluation. His mother was seated nearby, immersed in her knitting. I walked over and introduced myself to the boy. He looked right trough me and started screaming: "I can't see! I can't see!"

I had never witnessed such a dramatic example of hysterical blindness. "How long has this been going on?" I asked his mother. Without looking up she replied, "Ever since you stepped in front of his television."

*************************************************************************************************************
Dog Training

I heard the dog barking before he and his owner actually barrelled into our vet practice. Spotting a training video we sell, the owner wisely decided to buy one.

"How does this work?" she asked, handling me a cheque. "Do I just have him watch this?"

*************************************************************************************************************

Just for laughs! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Keep you hands off please.

During my younger days, I used to hang out with a bunch of single young people. Every now and then, we would organize trips, visit places, go for movies or check out new restaurant etc. Guess that's what all young people do , right, even now, at this century?

There was this girl in our group, when ever she talks to guys, she would change the tone of her voice and she just can't keep her hands to herself. She has to either pinch him, play with his hair, rub his shoulder or chest or sit on his lap.

Few months later, some of those singles in our group became couples. She, too, got serious with one of the boy in our group. Old habit die hard, when ever she talks to guys, especially those in our group, she still couldn't keep her hands to herself. Her boyfriend don't seems to mind or just pretending not too, I am not sure which, but the girls who's boyfriends she is talking to, are not too pleased.

Very soon couples starts avoiding her. The following trips that we organized, she was not on the list any more. Sometime I felt pity for her but what can I do. Girls find her "cheap" and boys find her "easy". Maybe she finds it adorable. Well, I will never know and don't intend to find out either.

Last heard, she was married to that boyfriend of hers and had a son. Wonder if she still have that habit of hers. Like the saying goes, every group there is always a black sheep. In this case a flirtatious one. Those gals out there who has the same habit, please go find a cure or you might start losing your girlfriends.

Thanks for reading. Just want to get it off my chest. Have a nice week ahead to all my readers.

Just thinking

I was just thinking. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Well, if everyone thinks the same way, there won't be secrets or mystery or lies and loose all the fun and excitement of trying to figure out what the other person is thinking. The world would be so readable, so dull, so uniform but so whole, so one, so united because all would think alike. Thanks for reading about my thoughts. Just something for you to think about.

Money in a bottle

This would make a lovely gift. Just get a bottle, some gel for plants, some money plant, some lovely stickers and a ribbon. Wash the bottle. Soak the gel into water and wait for it to expand. It will expand to about 10 to 20 times it size. The gel comes in various colors and shapes, so find out first before you buy. The sachet of gel all comes in powdery form so you would not know the shape of it at a glance till you soak it.

Once the gel had grown to it's maximum size, put it in the bottle. Cut some money plant according to the height of your bottle. Slowly push it into the bottle through the small opening. This is the challenging part but fun. I use a long chopstick to slowly push the plant into the bottle. Then decorate your bottle with some stickers and a ribbon. I used a butterfly sticker here.

The plant in the bottle can last very long and easy to care for. You don't have to water it everyday. Just add water when you find the gel had shrunk. You can place it in-door or out-door. Would be lovely to have one on your office desk, one next to your bed or perhaps one on top of the aquarium, just like mine.

Hope you like my idea of a plant in a bottle. This would make a lovely gift on Christmas, house warming or birthdays too, provided that, that person likes plants. It is cheap too and those stuffs are easy to get. I have to start collecting bottles again. Gave quite a number of these away as gifts. Thanks for reading and start collecting bottles. May you have a green week ahead.

Live like we were dying

Ever heard of this song "Live like we were dying" by Kris Allen? Don't get me wrong. I am not starting a song review, not even close. Just that the lyrics got into me, keep running in my head, over and over again.

So many time that there were stuffs that I wish to tell others but force to bite my tongue for fear of hurting the other person. Have you ever encounter such experience? Well my grandma had a bad experience with a friend. She used to lived in a very small town. So small was the town that everybody knows everyone. My grandma, a teenager then, had a few very close friends there that they declare themselves as BFFs. They would do just about anything together, inseparable. They even dress up in the same clothes when ever they go out. Gosh! You will never catch me doing that. Wearing the same clothes make people look like they are wearing uniforms, like the waitress etc.

Anyway, one fine day, one of the girls had her hair done in the latest fashion. The front portion of the hair was rolled up, with a roller inside the hair, making it look like as if she was wearing a hat. Something like what Lucille Ball did in the 30's or 40's. She parade in front of her BFFs showing off her new look. My innocent grandma went and told her that this hair style does not suit her at all. It made her look very fierce. That's it. That ended their friendship.

After hearing that story from grandma, I have to think first before I open my mouth. Just like what the mother rabbit said in Bambi " If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". Now back to the song. It says that we should live like we were dying. Go tell those who are dear to you that you love them. Let them know. True enough, but what about those people that you dislike, or worst, those that you hate and can't stand the sight of them? Should we start telling them or bring it to our graves?

I once saw a documentary about Japanese tea drinking ceremony. They would serve the tea in a special way in a "tea room" and everyone would treat that moment like their last, their last day on Earth. Does it mean that everyone in that room have the right to pour out all those stuffs that they had bottled up in them? Can't imagine if one starts pouring all those nasty stuffs about others. Heh heh heh it would be quite an unpleasant tea party then.

Just pouring out stuffs that was bottled up in me. Thanks for reading. I feel much better now.

Karaoke - jokes

Grandson : Grandpa! What does "karaoke" mean?
Grandpa : "Karaoke" is a combination of people who shouldn't drink with people who shouldn't sing!.

*************************************************************************************************************
Family Tree

Two guys were discussing their family trees. The first said "Too bad you couldn't choose your ancestors."

The other smiled and replied, "Listen, chances are they wouldn't have chosen you either."

**************************************************************************************************************
Yes, I Remember

When my 3-year old son opened the bithday gift from his grandmother, he discovered a water pistol. He squealed with delight and headed for the nearest sink. I was not pleased. I turned to my mum and said, "I'm surprised at you. Don't you remember how we used to drive you crazy with water guns?" Mum smiled and then replied, "YES! I REMEMBER!"

*************************************************************************************************************
The 3rd joke was meant for Mr Stupid. Bear in mind, your parents and aunts could retaliate later for all those mischievous stun you did when you were young. Ha ha ha. Just for laughs and thanks for reading.